Program for Struggling Pennsylvanians Unveiled
July 7, 2009 — State officials and representatives from the Pennsylvania and leaders from the state’s legal community visited Drexel University’s Earle Mack School of Law on July 7 to launch the Get Help Now, Pennsylvania initiative in Philadelphia.
The Earle Mack School of Law will serve as a host site for the initiative, which is designed to help state residents who are facing legal and financial struggles as a result of the nation’s economic crisis.
Consumers facing foreclosure, bankruptcy and other problems will be able to meet with volunteer lawyers, bankers and other professionals at the Earle Mack School of Law and 19 other locations around the state from 1 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the summer.
U.S. Circuit Court Judge Marjorie O. Rendell, the wife of Gov. Edward G. Rendell, figuratively cut the ribbon for the program during a press conference at the Earle Mack School of Law.
“So many people today are stymied – they’re challenged,” said Rendell, who announced the initiative in June, along with her husband and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. “This is a sustainable, focused effort to help people in need.”
The program is part of United We Serve, a broader initiative that President Obama announced to increase volunteerism nationwide this summer.
Get Help Now Pennsylvania is a collaborative effort of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bankers Association, the Pennsylvania Credit Union Association, the Pennsylvania Association of Community Bankers, the Mortgage Bankers Association of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Association of Mortgage Brokers, the Pennsylvania Financial Services Association, the Office of the First Lady and the Pennsylvania Department of Banking.
“These have been very difficult times,” said Audrey Talley, a partner with Drinker Biddle & Reath and zone governor of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, which has recruited 500 volunteers for the effort. “Many people feel in a bind without knowing where they can go for help.”
Sigrid E. Lundby, vice president and senior portfolio manager at BNY Mellon Bank, said her company appreciates the opportunity to provide assistance to the community.
Philadelphia Bar Association Chancellor Sayde Ladov praised local attorneys who are “putting their money where their mouths are” and predicted that the program will be “nothing short of a resounding success.”
The program will operate from 1 to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays until Sept. 11.
For more information, call toll-free 1-888-799-4557
or visit: http://www.pa.gov/portal/server.pt/community/taxes___finances/3065/get_help_now_pa/551869
More News »